NY health exchange says 456k have enrolled since launch

Another 44,000 people enrolled in a health insurance plan through the state’s exchange over the past week, pushing the total to 456,042, according to the state Department of Health.

Of the total enrollees, 69 percent did not have insurance at the time of their application. A total of 266,177 enrolled in private plans through the exchange, while 189,865 were placed on a Medicaid plan, according to the exchange.

“Activity on the website remains at a very high level, and I’d like to remind all New Yorkers that the open enrollment period runs through March 31, 2014,” exchange director Donna Frescatore said in a statement. “We encourage individuals to take advantage of the opportunities available on the Marketplace.”

New York State of Health, as the marketplace is known, was launched on Oct. 1 as part of the federal Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment runs through the end of March.